Jinting Han people

Upon returning to Zitong City, Liu Xian immediately began to implement sweeping administrative adjustments.

The reason for choosing to rest briefly in Zitong was mainly due to two factors. First, after the Battle of Jiange, Liu Xian needed time to digest the spoils of war. Newly captured prisoners needed to be settled, newly acquired lands needed to be governed by officials, and newly recruited scholars needed time to get to know each other—all of which required time. Second, although Li Li had suffered a defeat, his numerical advantage remained significant, while Liu Xian's rule was not yet secure. Continuing the offensive and suffering another defeat could mean losing all the previous gains.

But after his trip to Laojun Mountain, Liu Xian realized that the current situation in Sichuan was vastly different from what he had imagined. As a descendant of the Han dynasty, he naturally had his own advantages and prestige, but the situation in Sichuan did not entirely conform to this. Who could have imagined that during the decades of indulgence by the Jin dynasty, the power of the Celestial Masters sect had expanded to such an extent that it surpassed all other forces in Sichuan?

Leaving aside the question of how many followers the Celestial Masters sect actually has, just look at these so-called forty-four administrative regions. To put it more elegantly, they are forty-four dioceses of the Celestial Masters sect. But to be realistic, aren't they just forty-four fortified villages that can hide troops? The number is almost equal to the number of cities in Yizhou, not to mention the other smaller administrative regions. These Taoist temples are built deep in the mountains, stockpiled with food and weapons, making them more difficult to attack than ordinary cities. Once they rebel, they cannot be quelled in a short time.

But the most difficult issue is the matter of faith.

Human suffering is something no one can easily face alone, thus requiring spiritual sustenance, or faith. The Celestial Masters sect's shrewd, apocalyptic rhetoric, offered this sustenance, making people believe they would find happiness after death—an indisputable truth. This determined that Liu Xian could not eliminate the Celestial Masters sect, but could only try to control it.

Currently, Liu Xian doesn't possess any leverage comparable to the Celestial Masters Sect. If he waits for them to negotiate, he's at a disadvantage. Liu Xian realizes that time is precious; he must seize as much territory as possible before the Celestial Masters Sect makes a decision in order to turn the tables.

Therefore, he was determined to establish a new political system in the shortest possible time. He then made the following personnel adjustments:

Li Ju was transferred south to Brazil to serve as the new governor of Brazil, responsible for pacifying the region. Liu Kun was appointed governor of Liangzhou and ordered to return to Hanzhong to oversee the distribution of land and settlements within Liangzhou. Yang Nandi was appointed governor of Liangzhou to handle the defense against the north and espionage. Zhang Guang was appointed governor of Zitong to transport grain and provisions from various prefectures and secure logistics. Liu Shen was appointed governor of Yizhou and, along with the rest of the Anle Duke's staff, was sent south to prepare for taking over the new territory.

Liu Xian quickly completed the screening process for the newly appointed county magistrates. He appointed both former officials from the Anle Duke's mansion and local scholars from Bashu who had recently surrendered. However, he mainly adhered to two principles: first, to control the proportions, ensuring that the weight of each side was between 50 and 50, thus maintaining balance; and second, to prevent collusion, ensuring that there were no former officials among the magistrates of neighboring counties, thereby safeguarding the control of the Duke's mansion.

At the same time, three new counties were established: Baishui County and Jiangyou County were re-established in Zitong Commandery to strengthen control over the strategic locations of Bashu; and Zhonglie County was established in Baxi Commandery to commend the Han army that held the line in the area.

As for the newly captured Chengdu soldiers, Liu Xian originally planned to divide them into several groups and send them to work in the newly established counties, either building city walls or repairing roads, until the Bashu region was pacified, after which they would be released back into civilian life. However, now that a large-scale offensive was underway, this approach was no longer appropriate.

After careful consideration, Liu Xian decided to treat only the elderly and weak in this way. The remaining able-bodied men were dispersed and directly incorporated into the existing armies. With the manpower provided by the local gentry, if the reorganization could be successfully completed, the Hanzhong army would expand from its original 35,000 to over 50,000.

This was actually a rather risky move. After all, many of these prisoners were veteran soldiers from the Western Barbarian tribes, and their loyalty to Li Xiong was relatively high. They might escape and leak intelligence about the Hanzhong army. But since Liu Xian was preparing for a swift attack, he couldn't afford to worry about such things. Victory was the best way to build consensus, and caution could sometimes lead to missed opportunities.

Liu Xian's biggest worry was still the situation in Guanzhong to the north. He had moved almost all his troops to Zitong and Bazhong, leaving only 30,000 garrison soldiers deployed in Wudu and Hanzhong. While this number seemed large, its fighting strength was insufficient. Furthermore, it had been four or five months since Zhang Fang led his army out of Guandong. If Zhang Fang ended the war in Guandong at this point and launched a counterattack south, the Hanzhong army could potentially be defeated.

Therefore, Liu Xian urgently needed intelligence from the north. He dispatched an envoy to Xi Jian in Chencang, ordering him to immediately draft a report on the current situation in Guanzhong. Seven days later, Xi Jian arrived by express courier with a report containing earth-shattering news: Zhang Fang had captured Ye City! The situation in Guandong had changed dramatically!
This happened around February of this year.

In January, the situation in Guandong still overwhelmingly favored Sima Ying. With Wang Yan successfully diverting troops from Lu Zhi and crossing the river at Baima, he decisively defeated Wang Cui, the governor of Yanzhou, with overwhelming numerical superiority, and then advanced into Junyi City in Chenliu. At this point, he, along with the armies of Liu Qiao and Sima Mao, formed a three-pronged attack, their forces aimed directly at Xuchang. Under these circumstances, Zu Ti was already in dire straits. Perhaps in just another month, when the three armies converged at the city walls, he could join Sun Xiu and Sima Yue in the afterlife.

But to everyone's surprise, the situation changed dramatically with Zhang Fang's re-entry.

Most people believed that with Liu Xian's rampage in Guanzhong last year and Sima Yong's recent death, this was precisely the time for recuperation. Zhang Fang's rational choice would have been to stabilize the situation in Guanzhong before launching a relentless attack on Liu Xian. However, Zhang Fang did the opposite, choosing to mobilize all the troops in Guanzhong, leaving only 30,000 to garrison the area, while he personally led 100,000 troops eastward again from Hangu Pass, his forces aimed directly at Luoyang.

At this time, Lu Zhi had just been assigned troops by Wang Yan, and his forces were only able to hold Luoyang. The reinforcements urgently summoned from various prefectures had not yet arrived, so he had no choice but to send a letter to Wang Yan requesting help. However, Wang Yan was at a critical moment in his power struggle and had no intention of paying attention to him. He simply left the letter unattended, as if he had not received it, and did not send Lu Zhi a single soldier.

Zhang Fang quickly discovered this. When he learned that the defenses of Hanoi were completely undefended, he immediately made the choice that Lu Zhi feared most—he left only Gou Xi with 10,000 men to defend the flank, while he led the main force across the river northward, abandoning all supplies and supply lines, and advancing swiftly towards Ye City with a light force. This advance was truly swift and rapid. Although Luoyang and Ye City were 800 li apart, the terrain was entirely flat. Zhang Fang was not one to show mercy to his soldiers, and it only took him five days to reach the walls of Ye City.

At this time, only 20,000 troops remained in Ye City, a newly trained army led by Ding Shao, the Prefect of Guangping, and Shao Xu, the Military Advisor for the Northern Expedition. Sima Ying climbed the city wall and saw 90,000 Western Army soldiers arrayed below, their tiger banners like clouds, and he was utterly terrified. He originally intended to abandon the city and flee, but Ding Shao forcibly persuaded the Prince of Chengdu to stay, saying that Lu Zhi had already mobilized reinforcements.

In such a hasty situation, they were unable to defend the main city and had to abandon it to defend Santai, sending letters to Lu Zhi and Wang Yan requesting reinforcements. Seeing this, Zhang Fang showed no intention of launching a full-scale attack on Santai. Upon entering Ye City, he began burning, killing, and looting, just as he had done in Luoyang the previous year. Faced with this situation, Lu Zhi tried again to contact Wang Yan to lead troops north together. However, Wang Yan remained unmoved. Left with no other choice, Lu Zhi had to abandon Luoyang and march north alone. At this point, Lu Zhi was very clear about his fate, but having chosen this path, he was determined to see it through to the end.

On the day of Dingwei in the second month of the third year of the Tai'an era, Lu Zhi led 80,000 northern troops to Ye City. Zhang Fang led 90,000 troops in the vanguard, while Gou Xi led 10,000 troops in pursuit. The western army, mainly composed of cavalry, was well-rested and had the advantage of superior numbers in open terrain, giving them a significant advantage in terms of timing, location, and manpower. The two armies clashed at Zhangnan, but the battle lasted only a day. Lu Zhi suffered a crushing defeat. The western army attacked from both sides, flanking and maneuvering back and forth. In the end, generals such as Shi Chao, Ying Zhan, and Gongshi Fan were either captured or killed in battle. Tens of thousands were trampled and drowned. The remaining soldiers were temporarily helpless, with only a few thousand, including Lu Zhi and Ji Sang, managing to escape the battlefield.

Sima Ying witnessed this outcome from the Bronze Sparrow Terrace, and was utterly terrified, completely losing any will to resist. He immediately fled north from the city with Meng Jiu and his mother, Consort Cheng. With his escape, the remaining troops had no choice but to surrender. Thus, the second largest capital in the land—Ye City—fell so easily into the hands of Zhang Fang.

The Battle of Yecheng had far-reaching consequences. After this battle, Sima Ying's prestige was completely destroyed, and Lu Zhi's decades of painstaking efforts were ruined in an instant. By March, all the counties of Sili had surrendered to Zhang Fang. Many counties of Ji Province also submitted to Zhang Fang. The Western Expeditionary Army under Zhang Fang's control thus rose to become the most powerful force in the Nine Provinces, truly enjoying unparalleled influence.

The Central Plains were also terrified. After occupying Yanzhou, Wang Yan originally planned to continue his attack on Xuchang. However, under Zhang Fang's military threat, even with an army of 120,000, he dared not make the slightest move. Without Wang Yan's support, Liu Qiao and Sima Mao also hesitated and once again abandoned their attack on Xuchang, withdrawing from their garrisons. Thus, Zu Ti's crisis in Xuchang was saved by the Battle of Yecheng.

However, Zu Ti did not feel grateful to Zhang Fang. Instead, he realized that this was a golden opportunity to restore the prestige of the court. He quickly made a decision and, in the name of the emperor, issued an edict to Sima Chi, the governor of Qingzhou, appointing him as the commander-in-chief, overseeing the armies of five provinces: Yanzhou, Jizhou, Bingzhou, Youzhou, and Pingzhou, to jointly attack Zhang Fang. At the same time, he also dismissed Liu Qiao's cousin, Zhang Fu, from his post as governor of Yuzhou, citing Zhang Fu's high-ranking position in the Western Army, and appointed his brother Zu Yue as governor of Yuzhou instead.

Zu Ti's reasoning was excellent: Zhang Fang had become a threat to everyone, and if he were allowed to continue, no one else would survive. Therefore, General Ning Shuo Wang Jun, Governor of Bing Province Sima Teng, and Commander of Qing Province Sima Chi all responded, submitting memorials declaring their willingness to send troops. Zu Ti's dismissal of Liu Qiao was beyond reproach for any faction; it was a matter of fact, and to obey the overall situation, they had no choice but to agree. Sima Mao, allied with Liu Qiao, though unwilling, did not want to risk this trouble and could only watch as Zu Ti regained power in Yu Province.

It is worth noting that Sima Ying and Lu Zhi were in exile in Handan, Zhao Commandery at this time, and found temporary refuge with the help of Ji Sang and Shi Le. Sima Ying was extremely grateful to Ji Sang, so he appointed him as the governor of Ji Province and Shi Le as the prefect of Zhao Commandery, to gather the remaining forces in Ji Province and use Handan as a base to resist Zhang Fang again.

Meanwhile, Liu Yuan of the Xiongnu also took advantage of the chaos to escape Ye City and return to Zuoguo City in Xihe Commandery, where he joined his son Liu Cong. He rallied his followers and gathered troops, while simultaneously submitting a memorial to the court. In the memorial, he declared that Zhang Fang's evil deeds were heinous, unforgivable throughout history, and should be condemned by the world. He would lead five Xiongnu tribes south to defend the emperor, attacking Pingyang and Hedong Commanderies, heading straight for Hongnong, to sever Zhang Fang's connection with Guanzhong. The court naturally agreed.

Among the various factions, only the attitude of Wang Yan of Yanzhou remains unclear.

With things having progressed to this point, Zhang Fang had unleashed an unprecedented wave of power in Guandong. The situation had not become clearer due to Sima Yong's death; on the contrary, after this battle, no one in the world could enjoy the absolute authority that the King of Chengdu had previously possessed, and it seemed as if we had entered an era of all-out struggle for supremacy.

This was just over a month after Zhang Fang left the pass.

(Map of the situation in the country in April of the fourth year of the Tai'an era)

Liu Xian, being in Xichuan, was among the last to receive the news. The battle reports he received only contained information about Zhang Fang's capture of Ye City; he was still unaware of the reactions from the various factions in Guandong. However, Liu Xian was generally aware of their general inclinations.

Therefore, after reading Xi Jian's intelligence, he laughed heartily and shared it with everyone, saying, "Zhang Fang is truly a fool! He is arrogant and conceited to the point of being stupid! Attacking Luoyang is one thing, but he actually dares to lead troops to attack Yecheng. He really doesn't know the meaning of death! If I'm not mistaken, the people of the world will surely rise up against him, and we will have no worries in the north!"

With all his worries gone, Liu Xian focused all his attention on preparing for the southward march. On the 12th of April, Li Ju, Liu Shen, and others took their places. Liu Xian left several thousand troops to guard Bazhou and then broke camp at Zitong to formally attack Fucheng.

Fucheng is located on the south bank of the Fu River. At this point in the Bashu region, the landscape is almost entirely plains, offering little natural defense. Jiang Wan, the Grand Marshal of the Former Shu Han, used this location as his headquarters and remarked of Fucheng: "The Fu River is accessible by both land and water, making it easily responsive. If there is trouble in the east or west, it is not difficult to respond." In other words, Fucheng lacks natural defenses and can only serve as a central hub, not a defensive stronghold.

After Liu Xian crossed the Fu River with 40,000 troops, he immediately surrounded the city from all sides, building earthen mounds to besiege it. Li Li knew that the city lacked supplies and his forces were far fewer than Liu Xian's, and that he could not hold out for long; he was merely stalling for time. On the fifth day, seeing that the Hanzhong army's earthen mounds were about to close in, he abandoned the city again and broke out, leaving behind more than a thousand corpses.

After his victory, Liu Xian captured prisoners and learned that Li Xiong was fortifying Luocheng. He then shifted his offensive, sending troops to Liu Shen and ordering him to advance south along the Fu River to Guanghan. Seeing that the Chengdu army had suffered repeated defeats and offered no resistance, the counties of Guanghan surrendered one after another.

When the news reached Jianwei Commandery, Zhang Qi, the patriarch of the powerful Zhang family and grandson of Zhang Yi, the former General of Chariots and Cavalry of Shu Han, led his followers to actively respond to Liu Xian. Under the pretext of presenting gifts and holding a banquet, he first killed Li Pu, the governor of Jianwei Commandery of Chengdu State, and then launched a surprise attack on the Chengdu army in Nan'an, surrendering Jianwei Commandery to Liu Xian.

In this way, Liu Xian's power had expanded to seven commanderies, and his military strength had further increased to 60,000. With this shift in power, Li Xiong's military strength further declined, leaving him with only about 60,000 men, almost equal to Liu Xian's, and his power was confined to only four commanderies: Han Jia, Wen Shan, Xin Du, and Shu. If this trend continued, this newly established power, less than half a year old, seemed to be on the verge of collapse, easily destroyed. (End of Chapter)